Q&A with Norman Smurthwaite - Supporters Club Mtg

[Mattholl]

He's not ill. It's pretty simple really. He's making a tidy sum of money off the club and has the front to keep doing so whilst keeping up the pretence that he is staying on purely for the club's benefit.

 

Sorry but whilst he is a total weapon anyone who thinks hes making money off the vale needs sectioning with him. The clubs losing money you can see that by the crowds at games, size of the squad, ground and lack of investment into the fan experience.

[davehartshill]

This thread is genuinely quite sad to read. Fans who have been going for 40 odd years losing total interest in the club which will further damage our younger supporters.

 

I wouldn’t mind Smurthwaite making a bit of money out of the club if he wasn’t claiming it is losing £160k a month and then not putting a penny back into the playing side of it. The fact it is obvious that something is going on whilst we fight for our football league status is really ******* me off.

 

This bloke thinks he’s bigger than 142 years of history. I’ve just started taking my sons to the Vale this season and I want that to continue for years to come. I will not sit back and allow this ***** to ruin our football club.

 

We need to act now because we are on a plane with Smurf as the pilot and he hasn’t got a ******* clue.

[Family Stand Terrier]

I understand completely the approach Synectics are taking on this. I get where you're coming from Matt, I really do. It maybe that your suggestions would work, but from the bit I know about Norman, and the bit I know about Carol, I'd suggest that Norman is building Synectics reputation day by day without Carol having to do anything.

 

I know this won't mean anything to you as your past posts have referred to playing dirty and the art of tough negotiations...but there is another way. Carol could be playing the long game, positioned herself within the club, built up her reputation with people that work there day to day, allowed Norman to continue his one man PR trouncing, and then when the time is right she will be in the right position to make her move.

 

The risk is Norman damages the club beyond repair in the mean time, but on the flip side, I really hope that Carol is playing an absolute blinder here.

 

I have to think this way, otherwise I and I'm sure many others too, would just wipe their hands of the club and give up altogether. Attendances suggest that may have already started.

[Alan Baker]

 

- taken it to the brink of exiting the FL

- destroyed it's reputation

- divided the fan base from a position of unity

- riddled us with debts

- created a scenario where we're losing £140k a month

- separated the ground from the club

- regularly insulted and abused fans

- seen a drop in home support from over 8k for some games to less than 3k on occasion now

 

That's a great CV for a top businessman

 

#turfoutsmurf

[Hagrid]

I can't fathom how we're losing 140k a month. A month

 

We're a completely tinpot set up with literally nothing visible that would warrant that level of expenditure.

 

The last defence of Norm apologists is 'he's a good businessman'. The club hasn't traded in the black once since he bought the club. Not once. We went up getting 15k gates and had no debt. We've made £3m+ off of player sales in twelve months. He's received over £100k for exclusivity periods from prospective buyers.

 

How on earth are we losing that much?

[davehartshill]

Sorry but whilst he is a total weapon anyone who thinks hes making money off the vale needs sectioning with him. The clubs losing money you can see that by the crowds at games, size of the squad, ground and lack of investment into the fan experience.

 

I was in that stage of denial for a while about him making money from us but there is simply no other reason that he would hang onto the club and give it more than £100k a month.

[Hagrid]

I understand completely the approach Synectics are taking on this. I get where you're coming from Matt, I really do. It maybe that your suggestions would work, but from the bit I know about Norman, and the bit I know about Carol, I'd suggest that Norman is building Synectics reputation day by day without Carol having to do anything.

 

I know this won't mean anything to you as your past posts have referred to playing dirty and the art of tough negotiations...but there is another way. Carol could be playing the long game, positioned herself within the club, built up her reputation with people that work there day to day, allowed Norman to continue his one man PR trouncing, and then when the time is right she will be in the right position to make her move.

 

The risk is Norman damages the club beyond repair in the mean time, but on the flip side, I really hope that Carol is playing an absolute blinder here.

 

I have to think this way, otherwise I and I'm sure many others too, would just wipe their hands of the club and give up altogether. Attendances suggest that may have already started.

 

A public statement that she's still interested would be nice. Could still do that whilst staying in the Foundation. Just she still would like to buy the club (which she definitely does) and that she does have the funds to do so (which she definitely does).

 

If we aren't careful the tripe he came out with last night will be gobbled up by the fools who are stupid enough to still back him.

[Erniemossrules]

If Norman is such a clever businessman why would you pay 180k a month when you could cut your losses and jump ship.

If it is as bad as he says he is just losing more money and increasing his loans from his other companies which he is using to cover his tracks on his dodgy dealings.

Obviously he is banking on getting money in from next years season ticket sales to cover these losses.

He thinks gullible supporters will cough up money while not knowing if the club will be in Div 2 or the Conference.

To be honest I am waiting until the end of the season until I know where we are.In fact I won’t bother watching Conference football next season if it happens and so he won’t get his grubby hands on my money.I would encourage other supporters to do the same and not finance his future plans unless things change.We are the customers of his business and will not sit down.

[Family Stand Terrier]

A public statement that she's still interested would be nice. Could still do that whilst staying in the Foundation. Just she still would like to buy the club (which she definitely does) and that she does have the funds to do so (which she definitely does).

 

If we aren't careful the tripe he came out with last night will be gobbled up by the fools who are stupid enough to still back him.

 

I agree completely with that point. Norman has publicly discussed their business and yet again, questioned their financing of the club purchase. They should have a right to reply. Give them time though as it only happened last night.

 

We can see from a few posters on here, Norman's lies about Synectics have already been swallowed up and accepted as fact, which is ironic considering that's a line they regularly use against people that are against him.

[Hagrid]

I agree completely with that point. Norman has publicly discussed their business and yet again, questioned their financing of the club purchase. They should have a right to reply. Give them time though as it only happened last night.

 

We can see from a few posters on here, Norman's lies about Synectics have already been swallowed up and accepted as fact, which is ironic considering that's a line they regularly use against people that are against him.

 

The headline writes itself.

 

"Smurf says Synectics are right people for the club".

 

Quick article with Carol saying she's still interested, has the means to buy the club and take it forward, wants a resolution that benefits everyone. Doesn't need to criticise or slander, just a positive statement building off of Smurf's comments and saying they have the funds.

 

The fans need something to unite around. We're sort of drifting aimlessly into oblivion, half angry half apathetic.

[Family Stand Terrier]

The headline writes itself.

 

"Smurf says Synectics are right people for the club".

 

Quick article with Carol saying she's still interested, has the means to buy the club and take it forward, wants a resolution that benefits everyone. Doesn't need to criticise or slander, just a positive statement building off of Smurf's comments and saying they have the funds.

 

The fans need something to unite around. We're sort of drifting aimlessly into oblivion, half angry half apathetic.

I completely agree. Whatever her strategy, and I must stress my previous post was based purely on assumption, I just hope it works. It has to.

[Stockleys_socks]

If I were to play devil's advocate for a moment:

 

How is NS making money out of the club (as some are claiming) if he is having to put his own money in to keep us afloat?

 

Is it right to keep harping back to the sacking of Page and appointment of Bruno, etc. when NS has admitted his mistakes and done the right thing by appointing JR & NA, which the vast majority of fans saw as a masterstroke?

 

Wouldnt we all have taken our current league position when Brown was sacked?

 

Is it fair to say that NS has not backed the manager when the manager himself admitted that the only time he has not agreed with the owner is over the signing of Gunning when there is a valid argument to say he was right to not give in to pay demands of one individual and risk derailing the pay structure (was Gunning really deserving of being the 2nd highest paid player in the club - remembering that he couldn't get a club in the summer?)

 

NA has said himself that the January transfer window is not the time to rebuild, which leads me to assume that there were no players available who would have improved us without breaking our pay structure.

 

If NA is not backed by NS in the summer, NA strikes me as the type of person to not hang around, so that for me will be the litmus test of whether NS is true to his word.

 

Do people just expect the owner of a football club to have bottomless pockets. Is that why NS is so unpopular? Hasn't NS said that he would step aside if such an owner were to present themselves? What would Synectics do differently?

 

Whilst it might sound like I am supporting Smurf I am really trying to understand why it has all reached a crescendo now.

[Hagrid]

If I were to play devil's advocate for a moment:

 

How is NS making money out of the club (as some are claiming) if he is having to put his own money in to keep us afloat?

 

Is it right to keep harping back to the sacking of Page and appointment of Bruno, etc. when NS has admitted his mistakes and done the right thing by appointing JR & NA, which the vast majority of fans saw as a masterstroke?

 

Wouldnt we all have taken our current league position when Brown was sacked?

 

Is it fair to say that NS has not backed the manager when the manager himself admitted that the only time he has not agreed with the owner is over the signing of Gunning when there is a valid argument to say he was right to not give in to pay demands of one individual and risk derailing the pay structure (was Gunning really deserving of being the 2nd highest paid player in the club - remembering that he couldn't get a club in the summer?)

 

NA has said himself that the January transfer window is not the time to rebuild, which leads me to assume that there were no players available who would have improved us without breaking our pay structure.

 

If NA is not backed by NS in the summer, NA strikes me as the type of person to not hang around, so that for me will be the litmus test of whether NS is true to his word.

 

Do people just expect the owner of a football club to have bottomless pockets. Is that why NS is so unpopular? Hasn't NS said that he would step aside if such an owner were to present themselves? What would Synectics do differently?

 

Whilst it might sound like I am supporting Smurf I am really trying to understand why it has all reached a crescendo now.

 

Did write out a long response, but have deleted it. I CBA

 

UTV

[Santa]

How is NS making money out of the club (as some are claiming) if he is having to put his own money in to keep us afloat?

The money he is putting in to keep us afloat is money that should have been the club’s in the first place. He is hiving off revenue.

[Aussie Rules]

I can't fathom how we're losing 140k a month. A month

 

We're a completely tinpot set up with literally nothing visible that would warrant that level of expenditure.

 

The last defence of Norm apologists is 'he's a good businessman'. The club hasn't traded in the black once since he bought the club. Not once. We went up getting 15k gates and had no debt. We've made £3m+ off of player sales in twelve months. He's received over £100k for exclusivity periods from prospective buyers.

 

How on earth are we losing that much?

 

Ayup Hagrid, how often did we get 15K gates?